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Co-Workers and City Ordinances

I have been bringing my dogs to work with for about 12 - 14 years, worked for the same company, a lot of the people that have worked with me for years know this. My dogs stay in a crate or insulated dog box, parked in the shade, when it is cooler outside, if it is going to be above 85 I don't bring them, they stay at home. I bring them water every two or three hours, I let them air when I bring it. The purpose behind this is, our company's parking lot buts up to a really nicely mowed field that is about 75 yards wide and 300 yards long. Allows for nice easy stretch out marks and provides a terrain change from mowed to thick thick cover on the edges and threw a couple of ditches, from flat to brush to flat again. I also have access to various bodies of water that I can use to run water marks that are 10 minutes from my work, I can go there during lunch, which is what I will do most times that I bring them. I probably do this, maybe twice a week, tops. But with it getting cooler and cooler I was going to make this a regular practice. Until......

I get an email from a concerned new hire, stating someone is leaving dogs in a box in the back of their truck and that the dogs must be provided shelter , water, and food and that I need to look into this ( I am a security manager). They stated they were going to call Animal Control to have them removed.

So I called Animal Control and the officer really didn't know the ordinances that well, quoted them, but meshed them together in a way that made no sense, so I researched them myself. According to City Ordinance I am clear, if I am interpreting them correctly

1. My dogs have shelter when they are in the dog box
2. Water is given
3. Dogs are never here when the weather is too warm
4. My dogs don't have food 24/7 when they are at home, they are fed twice daily
5. They are on our private property only, they don't roam.
6. The box is not only insulated but well ventilated.

I like to take advantage of my free time, make the most of it, and I really like the field for young dogs learning to mark greater distances, not to mention it is an easier trip to nice working water. I am just floored after all of these years some newly hired employee wants to stir up some dust. HR and Facilities are okay with what I am doing, its just the fact that I have to even fool with this.

I would be inclined to pay a vist to animal control, and get an in-person ruling that what you are doing is fine. It will be harder for them to give you a hard time if you show up with your truck so they can see exactly how well cared-for your dogs are. Have your copies of their ordinances in hand - will save them time fumbling around trying to dig them out themselves. Having then gotten their blessing, you email the lefty do-gooder that you've checked with animal control and the truck is fine. Let him find out later that it was your truck.

Then if he does call animal control they tell him to take a hike, and you have covered your butt nicely. You can try the education route after you've nailed things down in case the education doesn't take, which is sadly too often the case.

I think you've gotten good advice from Larry. I agree with a proactive approach. CYA.

I'm in a very similar situation in that I bring my dogs to work with me quite often (when it cools down).

I've had two individuals make comments about my box.

The first was a lady (the CFO) of my firm who expressed mild concerns. I simply took her down to my truck and showed her my box with the fans running and water bowls in the holes, etc.. She actually was quite cool about the whole thing and now often asks me if I'm running drills during lunch and brings her lunch down and watches. She is astounded at what these dogs are capable of. It helps that her son is a big hunter and I've helped him a lot with his dog

The second one hasn't been as easy. She is a pink-dyed hair liberal that works in an adjacent office. One day she accosted me in the parking lot, so I showed her the box, fans, water, etc.. She seemed slightly mollified, but still complained. I told her that I had spoken to Animal Control and I was well within my rights and the dogs are well cared for. She walked away mumbling that she was going to let my dogs "out of that damn oven someday" at which point I snapped. I simply told her that if I caught her tampering with my truck, I would have her arrested and would sue the living sh*t out of her.
We now have an uneasy truce.

It helps that I can see my truck from my office. I also lock the holes.

Wow, nothing like jumping to conclusions. As the OP said, this is a NEW HIRE. Not someone that's worked with him for 12 plus years and know him and his dogs and that they are well taken care of. Just because all of us here would see the OP's setup and know the dogs are fine, doesn't mean that someone not involved in dogs the way we are would.

I agree with Jeannie. How about taking the person down to the truck, explaining some of the training you do and why you bring them and then show them your set up, pull a dog out and let them see for themselves that the dogs are fine? I wouldn't just assume because someone is concerned about dogs that they are a trouble maker. Especially with the news showing so many stories of kids and dogs left in hot cars to die during the summer time.

Start out being nice. Educate the person on the situation then if that doesn't work and they raise a fuss, you go cover your ass. Chances are that when they see the rig and realize it's the security managers dogs they'll leave it alone.

Rick Curtis ~ Currently in Ontario, CA by way of Spokane, WA and Northern CA.

Little Man Caught It On The River SH ~ "Ace"

Handlers Handle, Dogs Dog, Judges Judge

"If you train a young dog for momentum, precision will arrive. If you train for precision, demanding perfection, momentum will depart."
~Rex Carr

The new hire is uninformed but ready to create a fuss. He shouldn't form an opinion if he doesn't know any better. Also, what do you think would happen if the owner of the dogs and truck was the boss who hired him? How many times have you been ready to create a fuss when you were a new hire? What do you think is appropriate action from the new hire?

A non-troublemaker might have said to the security manager "What's the story with the dogs?". That sends a far different message compared to "Those dogs should have ......... and I'm going to call animal control."

"I love the rod and gun and where they take me."

"Do not judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins."

Wow, nothing like jumping to conclusions. As the OP said, this is a NEW HIRE. Not someone that's worked with him for 12 plus years and know him and his dogs and that they are well taken care of. Just because all of us here would see the OP's setup and know the dogs are fine, doesn't mean that someone not involved in dogs the way we are would.

I agree with Jeannie. How about taking the person down to the truck, explaining some of the training you do and why you bring them and then show them your set up, pull a dog out and let them see for themselves that the dogs are fine? I wouldn't just assume because someone is concerned about dogs that they are a trouble maker. Especially with the news showing so many stories of kids and dogs left in hot cars to die during the summer time.

Start out being nice. Educate the person on the situation then if that doesn't work and they raise a fuss, you go cover your ass. Chances are that when they see the rig and realize it's the security managers dogs they'll leave it alone.

Agree!

To say the person is a trouble maker isn't a really fair thing to say given the info we have. Chances are the person has good intentions and just needs to be talked to. Who knows they may turn into retriever people after watching your dogs run, because I bet they are dog lovers.

But if after talking to him and he still felt the same way, then forget everything l just said!

The new hire is uninformed but ready to create a fuss. He shouldn't form an opinion if he doesn't know any better. Also, what do you think would happen if the owner of the dogs and truck was the boss who hired him? How many times have you been ready to create a fuss when you were a new hire? What do you think is appropriate action from the new hire?

A non-troublemaker might have said to the security manager "What's the story with the dogs?". That sends a far different message compared to "Those dogs should have ......... and I'm going to call animal control."

I couldn't agree more with you George. They ought to fire that know it all,,, pathetic little bass turd. Its could be signs of things to come in the OP's work place